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The BCCI announced that all Indian players who have central contracts need to participate in domestic tournaments during their time away from national team duties. The introduction of this rule changed player behavior because before it existed top players would avoid domestic competitions after they achieved Team India membership.

 

The adjustment enabled domestic players to compete against prominent cricketers. The change made domestic cricket matches more thrilling for audiences to see.

 

Big Crowds at Domestic Matches

 

Local fans demonstrated their strong support for national athletes who competed in nearby tournaments. A major instance occurred when Virat Kohli played in a Ranji Trophy match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. The stadium saw a huge crowd just because Kohli was playing.

 

The recent Vijay Hazare Trophy matches held in Jaipur attracted fans who wanted to see Rohit Sharma play for Mumbai. Kohli played a few matches for Delhi in Bengaluru, and that too drew a lot of attention.

 

The matches demonstrated that fans prefer to see popular players during domestic matches instead of only international competitions.

 

Fans Demand Live Broadcast of Domestic Games

 

Fans enjoyed seeing star players compete at domestic matches but they were disappointed because many games lacked live broadcasting. People who could not go to the stadium wanted to watch the matches on TV or online.

 

The public frustration increased after the closed-door matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy which took place in Bengaluru. Many fans said they wanted these matches to be shown live.

 

The BCCI now plans to implement a major update to its broadcasting policies after receiving all the viewer feedback about the showings.

 

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BCCI to Increase Televised Matches

 

The presence of international players in domestic contests has created greater demand for live broadcasts according to BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia who reported this information to media outlets and fans.

 

Saikia said:

 

“That’s the biggest change that we have seen, that international cricketers are regularly playing domestic cricket. Earlier, I never got calls saying, ‘Why is this match not shown live?’ or, ‘Which matches will be televised live?’ Such questions wouldn’t come earlier, but now we are flooded with such queries from not only the media, but from the public."

 

Saikia also revealed the current system:

 

“Our system was that 100 domestic matches will be televised live. That was what we were following. But after the change of the policy, when the best players are playing domestic cricket, the cricket lovers want to watch domestic matches.”

 

He added:

 

“So, we are going to change that policy. From 100, we are definitely going to increase the number, and for that, we are working closely with our telecasting partners. We are definitely going to increase the number of matches in the upcoming seasons."

 

Benefits for Young Players

 

Saikia stated there are many advantages when top players play domestic cricket.

 

“The biggest advantage of having the top players play domestic cricket is that it adds a lot of value to domestic cricket. The young boys get the opportunity to play with the best in the country or at the international level. They get to share the same dressing room. That will boost their confidence and give them more opportunities to learn the game in a harder way. At the same time, the players who are at the national level or who are the marquee players of our country are also making the most of their time when they are free."